Chapter 16
Jaceon
I walked out of the house. My feelings were all over the place. I was still in a rage that a human man had the audacity to attack my mate.
As soon as I stepped out of the house, I shifted into my dragon and jumped into the sky.
The dragon was tracking David’s scent. I was tracing his exact route. It led out of the woods and across the town. His scent was mixed with that of a woman, which explained how he had gotten out of there so fast.
I followed the scent to a large hospital. I shifted and walked in.
It took me a minute to adjust. There were so many scents hitting me at once. Bear shifters. Wolf shifters. Other dragons. But I adjusted and pushed it to the back of my mind. I wasn't able to catch his scent in here. There were just too many.
"Hey, sir, can I help you? You look confused."
I turned. It was a young woman wearing a pair of scrubs.
"Yes. I am looking for a friend of mine. He said he was in some type of accident. He got burned."
She nodded. "Oh yes. I know who you are talking about. Last time I heard, he was upstairs with Dr. Grey. Follow me, I'm actually headed that way."
I nodded and followed behind her.
"So how long have you been in Shadow Wolf Creek? Isn't this just the greatest community?"
She turned and looked at me, and I realized she wasn't being rhetorical. She really wanted an answer.
"Yes. I love it very much."
I did my best to smile, but it probably looked like a grimace because she turned away.
I followed her to a room. She turned.
"Okay. Now, Dr. Grey has instructed us to keep it very low-key and dark. But the poor guy seemed so scared when he came in. I thought it would be good if he saw a friend."
"Thank you so much."
"Now, just five minutes. They will write me up if they know I let you in."
"I'll be quick. I promise."
I opened the door and walked in.
It was dark. The room was small and almost empty, minus the hospital bed.
"Who is that? Tameka, is that you?" His voice was shaking. "Can somebody please turn the lights on?"
I walked over to the bed. His eyes went wide when he saw me.
The dragon stirred. He wanted to finish what we started. I told him no. We promised her.
I leaned in. David made a whimpering sound, and I scoffed because he was a coward. I lowered my voice.
"Please. Scream if you dare. But I will snap your neck before they darken this door. Do you understand me?"
He nodded.
"I'm sorry—"
“Shut up! I want you to know the only reason you still have a heartbeat is that my mate has humanity. But don’t get that confused.
Because if you ever make the wrong move, I will turn you to ashes.
And then I will come to hell and burn you up again.
The devil you know doesn’t have a thing on me. Do you understand that?”
He was trying his best to make himself as small as he could.
Then I smelled it. The sharp smell of piss.
I smiled.
"Good night, David. And don't be surprised if you see my face in your dreams tonight."
I stood up and walked toward the door.
As I walked out, a woman walked by me. She was holding coffee and a couple of treats of the vending machine variety. She opened the door to the room I had just walked out of.
"David, oh my God, you pissed again." Her scent was familiar, it was the one that had been mixed in with his.
Then it clicked. She had driven him here. What type of woman drove with a man to attack another woman?
I turned around.
"Excuse me."
"Yes!" she said, smiling as she looked me up and down. "Are all the shifters this fine out here?"
Her audacity disgusted me. The dragon sat straight up.
I took a step closer to her.
"If you ever think about Kendra again, you will be in the ground next to him. Do you understand?"
I let my eyes glow, and a stream of smoke slid out of my nose.
She started shaking. The coffee she was holding clattered to the floor. The hot liquid splashed on her legs. She shrieked and stepped back.
I tipped my head, turned my back, and walked out the door.
I shifted as soon as I got outside and flew straight back to the cabin.
There was a time in my life when killing a man was just a Tuesday. Today I was upset because I had let one live. And I had only done it because she asked me to.
I was no longer the man Valentino made. The only approval I needed was Kendra's.
But Kendra had Zoe. Could she trust me with her daughter? Or would she rethink what I meant to her?
I shook it off. I trusted her more than I had ever trusted anyone. Hell, my dragon had picked her over me.
The threat was gone. But that didn't mean they wouldn't call the police. But what would they say? We went there to terrorize a woman and her boyfriend stopped us?
I shook my head. I didn't like the sound of that. Boyfriend. It felt way too little for what her and I had created. She was my mate. And eventually she would be my bride.
Instead of knocking on the door, I landed in the yard and shifted back.
Then I sat down against the big tree, in a spot where I could still see the inside of her room.
I wasn't hiding. If anyone looked out, they would see me plain.
I just couldn't make myself walk up and knock, and I couldn't make myself leave either.
I ached to see a glimpse of her. I just needed the dragon to see that she was okay.
She walked by. She was wearing her robe, and her hair was different. Braided into a bun. When had that happened?
But I loved that I saw her face.
Then she was gone again.
Then the light went out.
I figured she was finally getting some much-needed rest.
I settled back against the tree.
I had never imagined that this kind of love was possible for me. But here I was. It had started off as a contract, a way for me to survive a rut. But it had ended with me never wanting to go back to being alone again.